This lesson comes to you from the smallest training dojo here on the campus of GURU U: The Dojo of the Palace Fool. Thus, the lesson is short and easy, like a summer breeze in the Arctic, refreshing the mind in the teaching's brief simplicity.

THE GURU'S LECTURE: The photo below is simple and clear. It is the wedding of a graduate student and his bride here at GURU U. In the photo, the Cleric has just uttered the immortal words, "You may now kiss the bride."

Does the groom obey the KISS Rule (Keep it Simple Stupid) and simply kiss the bride? Or does he pull a white rabbit from his sleeve, balance a chair on his head, introduce his tax accountant, and recite the Gettysburg Address while playing the piano with his toes?

Clearly, the situation calls for a simple kiss! You must demand; keep the action simple. In fact, in 30 seconds you only have time to get one idea across with clarity. Start adding rabbits, the chair on the head, and the Gettysburg Address and you confuse everyone. Suddenly it looks like a circus, not a wedding.

The lesson today covers Rule 3: "The KISS Rule"

"In its pure essence, the artwork above tells one story. A wedding. The picture does not give names of family members, a list of wedding presents, or size of the bride's dowry (Hey, it's still the custom to do dowries here). Your ads will follow the KISS Rule if they tell just one story.

Write this down: ONE AND ONLY ONE THOUGHT PER AD."
"Hah! Easy for you to preach from your high altar, but clients want to sell all aspects in their ads. One thought you claim? I'd say ten thoughts per ad is more realistic. Clients want everything in every ad."
"You know what it sounds like when you have ten copy points? It sounds like this: blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...."
(Guru interrupts) "Enough with the blah blahs. You make your case brilliantly. Now consider this: Does that blah, blah sound like baa baa?"
"My mind is frozen shut Guru. I have no clue what
you mean."
"Hmmm, the Guru is not fond of sheep so I suspect there is a bad connection between the 'Blah' and the 'Baa."

"Yes, yes. You are grasping a great truth. We allow 'blah, blah, blah' in our ads because we often behave as sheep following a shepherd. The client says cram everything into the ad, and we follow. Our focus is on obtaining their money, and we allow too many copy points because we dare not challenge the client.

Sheep Syndrome raises an important point. We must be the shepherds who show the client: too many copy points ruin the ad. We must resist their requests and explain: violating the KISS Rule will cause their ad to fail and their money will be lost. Not to mention, your station will be blamed and the ad will be canceled.

Let us move on to a video example of this rule and the quiz that follows."